I planned to visit New Orleans back in late
2005, but the city, and its good people, had been devastated by Katrina in the
autumn and I ended up just driving through on the way to Baton Rouge. I was aghast at the upturned vehicles sitting
against walls, people crammed into hotel rooms, billboards completed flattened,
and an entire bridge completely blown away across the Ponchartrain.
A little more than 9 years later, I finally
had the chance to go and I was so looking forward to getting back to Louisiana
and spending some time there. We found
a cheap hotel in the Empress on Ursulines Avenue, and that left us around 10
minutes walk from Bourbon Street. We had two nights to spend in the city before
heading to Mississippi, and these are the highlights of our visit:
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| FINALLY made it! |
Rooftop Terraces on Bourbon Street:
Grab a beer and a menu at any of the great
eateries along the main drag and enjoy watching the action in the street
below. I love a bit of people watching
and, it’s even better somewhere as beautiful as NO. Indulge in some local crawfish or gumbo
(sooo good!), have a few drinks, and watch the street performers. We spotted a guy flipping around like Michael
Jackson, who was drawing in quite a crowd. We were also treated to some karaoke from the
bar below, which was a decent rendition of a Jason Aldean song. Interestingly, we also heard a Jason fan singing
the same song at a different karaoke
later the same night. I had no idea he
was quite so popular there. Live and
learn, folks, live and learn.
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| A busy evening on Bourbon Street |
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| Billie Jean is not my lover.... |
Drive Across the Ponchartrain Causeway:
Yeah, it totally doesn’t sound that
interesting, but let me tell you this:
the PC is in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the longest
continuous bridge over water On. The. Planet.
Not that new one that you’ve read about in China, oh no. It’s in New
Orleans and that’s that. Spanning 24
miles across the water, it’s colossal.
For 8 miles of the bridge, you can’t even see any land and you drive very carefully and, obviously,
completely within the speed limit. I
did, anyway, but more because I wanted to crane my head out of the window and
see how awesome it was. Once you get
to the other side, feel free to get out and explore the lovely city of
Mandeville, LA. Or, at least go eat at
Subway, like we did, before heading back across the bridge to our digs in New
Orleans. What can I say? It's a long drive and we were peckish...
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| Feels like it goes on forever... |
Mercedes-Benz Superdome:
Ok, so there wasn’t any sport on when we
visited, but if there is when you’re there: go see it! Regardless of the fact that it was shut
during our visit, I really wanted to see the stadium that made so many headlines,
not just for the recent success of the Saints NFL team, but also that housed
and made safe so many victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The Superdome is easily reached in the car
and there’s parking immediately outside.
The gold dome shines brilliantly in the sunshine and is quite a
magnificent spectacle. It is the
largest fixed dome structure in the world and can hold more than 76,000
people. So, you know, it’s quite big…
Outside the stadium is a 10-foot high
statue of former player Tom Gleason, who famously blocked a punt against the Atlanta
Falcons in 2006. However, the statue
isn’t really about blocking a kick, it’s really more about showing resolve and
strength in the face of adversity, as the city’s people did after Katrina. It’s beautiful, and is titled ‘Rebirth’. How apt.
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| Blocked! |
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Holy crap, it's big!
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Jackson Square and St Louis Cathedral:
Located in the French Quarter, Jackson
Square is a large, beautifully manicured, park, with a large statue of Andrew
Jackson in the centre. Jackson was
famously victorious in the Battle of New Orleans and the name was changed in
his honour. Well done, Sir.
On two sides of the Square are various
shops and cafes, whilst the Mississippi and St Louis Cathedral dominate the
others. St Louis is one of the oldest
cathedrals in the US and it looks a bit like it should be in a Disney theme
park. I mean that in the sense that it’s
completely magical, not plastic and ugly.
No offence, Walt.
The interior of St Louis is equally
impressive and is free to enter. The Old
Ursuline Convent Museum is next to the Cathedral and is also open to the
public, for self guided tours. Thie Convent is the oldest building in the
Mississippi Valley.
The Square and Cathedral are lovely areas
to spend some time and we were lucky enough to see a small 4-piece band having
a jamming session in the park. They
didn’t play a single Jason Adlean song, so maybe he’s not as popular in New Orleans
as we first thought. Hmmm...
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| The stunning Jackson Square |
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| General Andrew Jackson statue. |
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| See? It could totally be out of a Disney movie! |
Coffee with Joan of Arc at Café du Monde:
We stumbled upon Café du Monde on our way
to Jackson Square to meet General Andrew, and decided we’d have coffee with
Joan of Arc first, and then visit him
later. That’s just how we roll. As well as being famous for its milky coffee,
Café du Monde is also famous for beignets.
These are a kind of deep fried choux pastry, like churros. Not being a doughnut fan, I managed to
resist, but LT is never one to shy away from food. They smelled amazing, if that makes any
difference at all. No? Ok, then.
Just next to Café du Monde is a rather
large statue of Joan of Arc, which was gifted to the city by France. The Maid of Orleans stands proudly at the
French Market, all gold and shiny.
She’s quite an impressive size and comes complete with her weapon of
choice: the cannon. Actually, she comes
with two, but I guess it’s like shoes…you can’t get by with just the one, can
you? Exactly. She hasn’t always been located here, but I’m
assuming the smell of the coffee and beignets was too much to resist. And who could blame her?
Have you visited New Orleans? What are your recommendations?
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| coffee, please! |
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